Morocco opens bidding to run Africa's largest shipyard

Morocco seeks private operators for Africa's largest shipyard under a 30-year contract.
Morocco has become Africa's leading car exporter and attracted global automakers.
The new shipyard will allow Morocco to conduct maintenance and repairs on its naval fleet domestically.

Morocco is seeking private operators to manage Africa’s largest shipyard under a 30-year contract, as the country aims to replicate the success of its booming automotive industry, Bloomberg reported.

The state-run National Ports Agency (ANP) launched a tender earlier this week, inviting bids from experienced global shipyard operators to develop, equip, and run the 52-acre site, according to ANP’s communications director, Abdellatif Lhouaoui.

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Morocco is making a name for itself in the automotive industry, having spent roughly the last two decades transforming into Africa's auto-manufacturing hub.

The country rose to become Africa’s leading car exporter after global automakers such as Stellantis NV and Renault SA set up production plants in the country, attracted by its competitive labour costs, robust infrastructure, and political stability.

Last year, China's Gotion High Tech announced last year that it would invest 12.8 billion dirhams ($1.3 billion) to construct Morocco’s first electric vehicle battery gigafactory.

Replicating industrial success

With similar conditions in place, the government hopes the shipyard will attract major players and position Morocco as a key maritime hub on the continent.

Morocco’s new $300 million shipyard in Casablanca is designed to position the country as a regional maritime powerhouse, capturing demand currently directed toward overburdened shipyards in Southern Europe.

Proposed Africa’s largest shipyard BI Africa

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Previously, Morocco relied on smaller shipyards in Casablanca and Agadir, which primarily catered to the fishing industry. The new facility changes that dynamic. Equipped with a 244-meter-long, 40-meter-wide dry dock and a 9,000-ton vertical ship lift, the shipyard can service commercial, military, and fishing vessels.

Crucially, the new shipyard will allow Morocco to conduct maintenance and repairs on its naval fleet domestically, reducing the need to spend foreign currency on services abroad.

This is especially significant for a country grappling with persistent trade deficits and planning to ease its currency peg by 2026.

Bidders vying for the concession contract to operate Morocco’s new shipyard will also have the option to propose a ship-building component as part of their bid.